Teaser Of What Is Yet To Come

The snow began to fall at approximately 10:00 yesterday morning.

This means I was complaining about it by…. oh…. 10:05.

Now, before you call me a scrooge, hear me out. It’s not so much the snow on the ground I have the issue with. It’s pretty. It’s the falling snow part I have issues with. Because every year it’s like people forget how to drive. And every year I get stuck in the the most ridiculous traffic ever.

And I think we’ve gone over my lack of patience.

So instead of “how pretty!”, I proclaimed, “the drive home tonight is going to blow”.

And I was right. As usual.

My lack of creativity in the kitchen has really been astonishing. But when you don’t get home until much later than usual, you want a quick meal that’s proven effective.Along with scrambled eggs being one of the 4-5 things (salad, soup, oatmeal, eggs) consumed all week, breakfast is also a comfort food of mine. Since I was pouty, it only makes sense.

But check out the semi-successful omelet stuffed with black olives, spinach, mushrooms and feta! Usually it ends up a scrambled mess, but my roommate was cheering me on. And I used an extra egg white. One of those things surely was what did it.

As much as the snow fell, though, I was determined to make it to the gym for my “Free for all” day (as according to my non-plan plan). This required me to lay out everything and dust off the good ol’ snow boots.Not awful by any means, but a feeling in my stomach says it’s only a teaser of what is yet to come.

One benefit of this lil’ snow fall we got?

The gym was VERY quiet. Sure, us die hards were there (yes, I’m a hard core gym rat these days). But there was no issue getting the machines I wanted, and the perfect magazine from the rack to keep me entertained during time spent on the elliptical and stairmill.

Did you know Kim Kardashian is getting divorced?!?!?

Sadly the magazine wasn’t 3 months old, but yet again outlining the details.

Seriously? I’m bored, guys.

The workout went swimmingly- 20 minutes on each machine, which was a good start to my “free for all” day. And because there is this little rule about strength being somehow incorporated, I’ll be chillin’ with Jillian after work tonight.

Unless 10 minutes of shoveling snow off my stairs/sidewalk counts?

Have a great Friday, kids! I was skeptical at the beginning of the week, but it looks like we made it!

Longest Workout Ever

Well that was fun.

Who knew unplanned days off would be so much busier than planned ones?

I woke up at 8:00. Drank my coffee  while watching the news and peeking outside to watch the snow (that was STILL falling).  Turns out we hit the record books with the 3rd worst snowstorm Chicago has ever seen.  Yeah. Sooooo glad I was able to be a part of that… geez.

By 10:30, I decided it was time to get out. I was starting to feel like a shut in. Off to the treadmill!Anywhere I go, it’s like being in a snow maze. I feel like a mouse. With no cheese at the end.

When I got to the gym, there was a surprise waiting…Wait… is that a new treadmill?  Why yes… yes it is! The “new to us” treadmill is just sitting there awkwardly at the moment. Still waiting to be moved and installed- presumably after the maintenance/repair guys get finished moving around the excessive snow.

Not only is this one being added, but our property manager said they’re also replacing the loud treadmill (that I constantly whine about) within the next couple of months.

Say whaaat? She didn’t know how much she made my day with that news. It’s the little things in life…

Like I mentioned yesterday, I decided to knock out my long run. Saturday’s looking to be a busy one and suddenly I had all this time with no where to go? Silly to not take advantage of it all.

6 miles were on the original plan. I wanted to overachieve with 7.

But sometimes things don’t happen perfectly. I had to stop at 3.5 for a potty break. Don’t drink 2 cups of coffee directly before a run. It leaves you with no options but to disrupt it.  And as I was chugging along, all I could think about was how much snow shoveling there was to do.  Ugh. So I cut it short at 6.5. Semi-overachiever?

The run totaled up to about an 8:39 pace. Considering all the sugar in my system from the night before, I’m happy. 

After the run came the snow shoveling…My work was cut out for me- I wasn’t even sure where to being. After an hour or so, it was to the point where I could most likely get the car out. It wasn’t pretty, but hey- driving was possible. Phew…

Thank goodness there was a reward in my future…Mon cooked. Yes- unheard of! Just in case you need to see it to believe it.    Our friend Bailey and I were astounded!

I give her a hard time, but she can totally throw down when she wants to… like she did yesterday. Loaded nachos- buried under the ground turkey and black beans were cheese, onions, and olives. We topped it all with salsa, greek yogurt and guacamole.Oh buddy.

The movie of the day was The Town. We need to take a minute to discuss this. Has anyone seen it? Other than watching because Ben Affleck returned to the screen looking like a stunna’, it was really good! And, in my humble opinion, a little looked over during awards season?

*I may or may not have diverted my eyes for a few parts. Definitely violence involved. To be fair, when a sledge hammer gets swung at someone, I have a good idea of what will happen and would rather not see it. 

Call me a wus. But I only missed maybe 2 minutes of the movie. And still really liked it. So whatev.

We also watched Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.  We laughed. It’s all about balance, my friends.

All in all, an exhausting but very good day.

And who doesn’t love having a random day off in the middle of the week?

Even if I feel the ache of shovelling snow. It’s not awful (should I thank all my quality time with Jillian Michaels dvds?), but it’s there. Oh well. It was strength training… right???

Now it’s just a matter of battling the relentless cold. I think it’s currently one degree outside.

Ah… walking in a winter wonderland…

Crazy Train

Is it a coincidence that Ozzy’s “Crazy Train” was playing when I started my car thing morning?

I think not.

I’m not one to be overly nutty about weather forecasts, but when being bombarded with news of one of the worst storms Chicago has seen in however many years, one tends to become somewhat concerned. And feels the need to prepare to “hunker down” for such an event.

Because Mon is no good with large groups of frantic people and grocery stores (they give her anxiety), you can imagine the combination of the two would drive her batty. So I escorted her to Target and Trader Joe’s. It was more for the safety of others than anything else. And I needed cereal.One would like to think this was an overdramatization.

It sort of was. Mostly because we purposely avoided the rush hour crowd and went later. Good because we missed the crowd.  Bad because of this:Sure, I needed things because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get to the store the next couple of days. But people were running around like the apocalypse is coming.

Come on guys, that’s not until at least 2012.  Let’s get serious. You really should put back a gallon of milk for someone else. I think the other four gallons you have in your cart will keep your family nourished through the couple of snow days we’re looking at… promise.

Granted, I had 3 boxes of cereal in my cart. That looked like semi-hoarding activity, but in my defense (which I also stated to the cashier to make myself feel better), the sale was ending this week. And I just really like Special K.

Maybe milk lady and I should hang out and have a breakfast party for everyone.

Before our end of days grocery run, I did manage to get my 4-mile run in. Since I did all my runs in the morning last week, I was feeling SUPER sluggish when I started my first mile after work. Gross.

It got better. But the first 6 or 7 minutes were full of doubts. Luckily, after two miles, I hit my stride. Mile 4 was a breeze. I set the treadmill at 8:27 and progressively picked up the pace until I had hit the 8:00 pace and finished out. Good enough for me and after a 5-minute walk for a cool down, it was time to go. Someone was using the hideously noisy treadmill next to me and I was ready to remove myself from that situation.

Final stats? 4 miles at 8:37. Not much slower than my 6-mile run on Friday, so that’s sort of a bum, but I’m just going to chalk it up to mornings being speedier and evenings being slower.

That’s my excuse today, anyway. Tune it to see what I come up with next time. 

Tuesday is here and of course on Tuesday comes the bad weather.  Coincidence?  No.

I just walked into work this morning, but cross your fingers for me about tomorrow.  Really hoping for a snow day…

Keeping My Pants On

It really is unfortunate I turn into such a wus when it comes to the cold. This is one main reason why I’m not huge on running outside unless it’s at least 45-50ish degrees.  Feel free to judge- I still don’t care and won’t do it!

And that’s when I’m fully dressed in cold weather gear.  Imagine how much whining would occur if I’d be wearing less.

Which is one reason why I contemplated and inevitably declined participating in this:

Yes.  A Pantless Subway ride. 

Chicago is one of the many cities to participate in this tradition that was started in New York by a group called Improv Everywhere. I’ve actually discussed them before- I find them highly amusing and would love to participate in one of their little stunts one day (preferably one where I wouldn’t freeze my tookus off- like synchronized fountain swimming?). 

Pham was the one to shoot the above video and also to throw a text my way about it.  I told him it was pretty ironic, because at the time I was reading the book Causing a Scene by the creator of Improv Everywhere.Has anyone ever seen or participated in a thing like this or something similar?

The closest I’ve gotten is probably running into the Free Hugs Campaign when my brother and his friends came to visit a couple of years ago.Joke was on these dudes- it was one of the hottest days in March ever and we had been walking around all day.

We were probably stank.

Either way, I guess my point is that I think it’s really cool.  And maybe I should just suck it up, put on my big girl pants, and then take them off next year during the annual ride.

Expect me to talk myself in and out of it for the next 364 days…

Oh and fun fact- Aziz Ansari is an “agent” and participated in Improv Everywhere back in the day.  Neat.

Moving on…

I’m glad you guys sort of agree with my decision to chill out a wee bit on the running front this week.  Don’t think this means I’m not working out- just switching it up.

Last night, I did another round of The Shred with 5-lb and 8-lb weights.  Level 1.  I tried mixing in the 8-lb weights with Level 2 over the weekend.  Needless to say, there’s a reason why I went back down to 1.

This morning, I trudged through the mini snowstorm we’re having to the workout room at 5:15.  There was another girl in there and I’m pretty sure she wasn’t expecting to see anyone.  Because she looked started.

Maybe it was because I looked like a bit of a hobo in snow-covered sweats and massive winter coat. Because I was well aware of my appearance, there was no need to be offended by her reaction.

It was a little slow getting started (maybe from a night of tossing and turning?), but soon I was chugging away.  25 minutes on the elliptical. 10 on the stairmill.

Wish I could have had a few more minutes on the stairmill, but time was not on my side.  Whatever, though- it was a rough 10 minutes.  As a lot of you know, the stairmill puts you up pretty high.  In a workout room at an apartment complex, expect for the ceiling to not be that far away from your head.  Expect the air/heating vents to be poorly placed in said room.  Expect to be sweating that tookus of yours off twice as quickly because the air will be blowing directly at you.

Clearly, whoever helped set up the workout room does not actually use the workout room.

I like to think this helps prepare me for enduring the elements once I start taking my workout back outside. Right?  When it’s hot- not cold.  Because I’m sort of a wus in the cold…

Be careful today, kids!  According to the news, there’s snow falling pretty much everywhere.

My parents are coming! My parents are coming!

So excited, I had to say it twice.

Friday went by so quickly!  We were short-staffed, so I kept busy the whole day without too much of a problem.  Although a chocolate fix to get through the afternoon was necessary:I’m a Clif bar kind of girl, but a little departure never hurt anyone.  (And the Luna White Chocolate bar is even better than this one!)

Like I said previously, this was a scheduled RedBox night.  I was even organized enough to do an online reservation.  I’m THAT big of a nerd.    And I’m totally ok with that.  What did I end up with?  In The Air and 2012.  Not sure why I picked either one, I was just clicking through and went, “huh.  That looks alright. Hopefully it will work out better than the last time I pulled a RedBox night.”

And it was.  Up in the Air was so much better than The Invention of Lying.  If that wouldn’t be obvious enough.  I watched and confirmed. 2012 on the other hand?  Eh.  I feel like they got two 14-year-old boys hyped up on Red Bull and possibly crack and asked, “what would look really cool in an action movie?”  And that’s how this movie came about…

During Up in the Air, I enjoyed another egg souffle creation courtesy of Low.And I traded my usual wine for a cup of green tea.  Aren’t I so responsible?    Not that I really have any absolute reason to not have a glass.  But sometimes a week of complete sobriety can be a good thing.  Besides, I’m out of TJ wine.  So yeah…

During 2012, when I wasn’t glued to the overly obnoxious special effects and “close calls” that happened every two minutes, I was all over google and yelp.  Looking up the logistics of today and tomorrow to make it a little easier for my parents and I as we do our thing in the city.  That’s the planner in me.  Besides, I think it’s reassuring to my parents.  When you’re not used to navigating a city as big as Chicago on a regular basis (or even half as big for that matter), it can be extremely overwhelming.  I still get a little out of sorts after a well laid out plan from time to time (hence my bus ride in the wrong direction just this week!).

So I’ve got notes.  With several options.  In case they don’t like my first general idea of how the day should go.  I’m flexible like that.    Anyone else a little OCD about stuff like this???

I woke up this morning and apparently it snowed last night.  I didn’t realize that was coming so early?  Great.  Now the forecast at least says it’ll be 10 degrees warmer than originally anticipated, but the snow and rain will be an ongoing thing the entire day.  Oh dear.

Anyways, in true Saturday form, I have errands to run and things to do before my parents get here.  As soon as they get here, we’re out for a quick bite and then heading to the Shamrock Shuffle Expo.  I’m starting to get anxious, but I know I’ll feel better as soon as I get there and have my bib number in my hands!  Hooray!  It’s finally here. And I’m happy my parents made the final decision to come up to watch.  Don’t you love it when they’re around for a little extra support?

Have a good Saturday!  I’ll catch you tomorrow after the race!  Cross your fingers that my little leg sticks with me through it all without too much of a problem!

Sunday Funday

Everyone loves a good Sunday Funday every once in awhile.  I was in an interesting mood (if you didn’t pick up on that pent up aggression at the end of my last post).  So I decided one was necessary.  Here is what I do on my version of a Sunday Funday: 

I run outside.  I was in a weird mood.  Originally, I had planned to attempt at least a few of the four miles I’m allowed to do.  But I decided to switch it up.  I knew that machine would not cut it.  So I went on one of the shorter trails by my house.  Not sure what to expect, but I figured surely I wasn’t the only one who has had the idea to run on it.  I wasn’t the only one.  But it was rough.  Because the entire trail looked like this.  And I don’t mind running in the snow too much.  But it was slushy and slick- so running was only half of my journey.  The rest of the time I was slowing it down as to not crack my face open.  Just because I wasn’t the only one who had obviously ran on it (due to all the footprints and beaten down path), I was one of the only ones there at the time.  And the others that were there were two old men and their dog- walking slowly.  So it would probably have taken them quite some time to come across my lifeless body. 

As rough as it was, the run was fun.  Really fun.  Like awesome fun.  Did I get my point across on that one?  And I need to map out some more.  Not today- we got another dumping of snow over the night- fantastic.  

I went on meat detox after our little lunch club outting yesterday.  My appreciation of broccoli is really starting to come through.  Ahhh… veggies after a day that included a big meal and sharing some quesadillas (oops- did I not mention that earlier?  Yeah… I shared some chicken quesadillas while at The Spread.  Not bad, and splitting them was a very good idea) was a refreshing and wonderful thing. Broccoli, mushrooms, and a little bit of white cheddar.  Nom nom nom…  And yes, I clipped coupons yesterday- check out that stash of coupons for Target!  Wooo hooo for saving 25 cents off of fabric softener!  Holla’… 

And finally, my desire to throw things was met.  Sort of.  My friend Mon was checking in on my anger status and I had the bright idea to track down some batting cages.  I really really wanted to find some batting cages.  A healthy way to get out some pent up aggression?  Again, probably not, but we do what we can.  So we braved the heavy snowfall and headed towards ESkape.  We walked in, surprised how busy it was later on a Sunday night, and looked.  And looked.  

The batting cages had been closed since last summer.  WHAT?!?!?!  Oh no!  I was disappointed.  Really.  But we had traveled so far… so we compromised and met somewhere in the middle.  

It was a combination of this: Whoever said tequila on a Sunday night was a bad idea is clearly mistaken.  Anyhoo, it was that and…. BOWLING! 

Sassy Shoes!

 

Sure, I hadn’t gone bowling since I was in high school.  But I did ok.  I’m sure the tequila helped.  Positive… 

Unfortunately, I broke my nail on the very first frame.  Lame.  But I guess it was a small price to pay.

 

Good times… we had adult beverages in our systems, got there right for 99 cent games, and bowled our hearts out.  No, it wasn’t the batting cage, but it was a nice way to check out mentally for a while.  I even had two strikes in a row!  Which may be a first for me. 

I did, however, get a little weirded out when the lights on the pins dimmed… and then all the sudden the lane lit up in red lights.  Projecters dropped from the sky.  Oh there goes the light… What is going on?  Oh shit… 

Cosmo bowling. 

I blame the dark lanes with flashing lights as the reason I didn’t do well on the last game.  Yep, that’s all it could have been. 

Have a good week everyone!  I’m going to go fight the snow and traffic.  Spring is supposedly less than a month away.  Cross your fingers…

Let’s try this again

This morning needs a do over.

Apparently there was an earthquake at 4:00 this morning and the Chicago area could feel it.  I slept through it.  Good to know how aware my body is.  But that’s not the only thing I slept through.  I woke up wondering how it could be so light in my room.  Oh- it’s 7:30, that’s why.  Wait- 7:30?!?!  OMG.  I’ve never jumped so quickly out of bed in my life.  Well, that’s a lie- but I was up in a flash, nonetheless.  Somehow the earthquake must have turned my alarm clock off and made me sleep in 45 minutes later than normal.  That must have been it.

Then came breakfast.  So after my first oats in a jar fail, I decided to try again.  Because I’m not a quitter! 

Ignore my super dry hands- this winter has been a rough one for my delicate skin…

And yes, I got through my almond butter in lightening speed.  Don’t judge.  So I got it all  in the jar and threw it in the microwave…  I wasn’t really watching it.  It didn’t explode like last time, but there was a bit that escaped from the jar and all over the bottom of my microwave.  Awesome. I ate it anyways. 

Back off Vince, this one’s mine.  Make your own.

Yes, I was able to sit down to enjoy it because I had made up a considerable amount of time (or so I thought).  On my later week, I wake up earlier than I actually have to so I can watch the news and piddle a little bit.  This morning was not as relaxing, but I was still able to listen to the news and have a word or two with Vince as I checked my email really quickly. 

So when I walked out the door, I was only about five minutes behind schedule.  Not bad.  And then I get outside and see my car.  Damn.  That is my car, right?  I think so, I’ll just start digging…  Yep- my car!  Good… that only took 15 minutes… blah.

Luckily, I still beat my boss in because he got stuck in his alley and had to recruit people to push him out. 

Moving on to a happier note… Happy Hump Day!  Not to rub it in- but yesterday was hump day for me.  Ok, maybe I am just a little…  Today is like my Friday- last day of work for the week!  So yes, the Friday dance will be happening as soon as I get home.  But not for too long- I have 2 1/2 miles to  pound out at the gym along with my fav new 20-minute work out, The Shred.

Then what, you ask?  The baking madness begins.  I originally was just going to make the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.  But then realized how many people I had promised to bring them to.  And since I’m making the majority of them for boys with bottomless pits for stomachs, I figured I might as well throw something else in there.  So I’m revisiting the blondies I made with Snickers and Reeses Pieces.  Just to make sure they don’t go hungry.  I love to bake.  And I love having people to bake for.  So even if I’m going to enjoy them in moderation (of course), I want to make sure I’m not the only one…  Adam’s hosting quite a few guys at his place over the weekend.  And he may be able to cook up a few mean dishes, but I think he’s pretty much lost to what the inside of his oven can do.  So hopefully they’ll all appreciate it a little to have something to munch on as we all party it up in St. Louis. 

My parents and brother are coming up on Thursday to hang out with me my first night in St. Louis.  Which is really nice because I haven’t seen them since Christmas.  We’re staying at a casino.  Yes, my parents have a hobby they enjoy so much that they get free rooms on occasion.  I don’t mind.  It’s also nice when they actually win a considerable amount- I get a little cut of it in the mail. 

I’m really not a gambler- can’t say I enjoy it at all really.  But I won’t stop them from doing it so I may reap the benefits from time to time.

Have a good day!  Hopefully my streak of luck won’t get much worse.  Knock on wood…

So you’re trying to tell me snowfall is likely?

I think I’m officially stressed out.  This snow is not helping.  I am a busy bee the next couple of days, and taking twice as long to get places is something I’m sooooo not cool with.  I was late for work today because traffic was a disaster.  I coasted at 60, slowed down to 20, back up to 40, down to 10 mph the whole way.  It was like a mean game people were playing.  Let’s see how much we can mess with Amy until she slams into the back of another car…

I leave Thursday at 1:00 on my little roadtrip with the boys to St. Louis for Mardi Gras weekend. In case I’m not excited enough, two of my guy friends text me the countdown every day to remind me.  Thanks for always looking out for me, guys! 

Here are my issues with prepping for the trip:

1. Being as how I’m the one who usually drives, my attitude towards packing is, “I have a big car, I’ll pack what I want” and there’s never been too much of a problem, even with a full car of people.  And I’m not the most efficient packer- so several bags or just throwing stuff in is always fine.  Not so much this time around.  Four people are throwing stuff into one tiny car trunk.  I’m going to have to reassess my packing habits.  And think compact.  For a girl who likes to have shoes for every possibility, this is going to be a challenge.

2. I have a few more workouts to fit in.  Now that I can actually get up off my butt again, I don’t like to miss a workout.  So I’m not complaining and saying it’s a problem.  But it’s just making things tricky.  I had gotten used to coming home and just staying home.  Getting things together, working the later shift at work this week, and making all the planned goodies I’ve promised to bring are all leaving me with little time for anything.  So far, I’ve  cut into my sleep schedule.  Probably not the best idea.  But coffee hasn’t let me down yet.

3. The baked goods.  It’s always a little stressful trying something new because I don’t know how it’s going to turn out.  And my cupcakes usually are a multi-step process.  Time consuming (as stated above).  Although I’m very excited for these.  I’ve been told the Bailey’s Buttercream I’m about to attempt will change me life.  Soooo ready for it- ha ha.  As long as I don’t get intoxicated while making them.  That could hinder the process and only make it longer than necessary.  Discipline, Amy… discipline…

4. We’re going rain or shine.  Or in this case- blizzard.  The drive could be a rough one.  Whoever’s sitting next to me will hopefully not mind my nails digging into his arm if we hit ice patches.  It would probably be polite to warn him of this.

So anyhoo… last night’s workout was a good one.  I got the whole 2.25 miles in without too much of a problem.  I had to wait for the good treadmill, though.  Which sucked.  Because the guy on it is one of those who seems to wear the same thing to the gym.  Everyday.  And he apparently smokes an entire pack beforehand.  So there’s that lovely body odor/old smoke smell just radiating around him like one stinky gross invisible cloud.  I held off of jumping on the treadmill for a few minutes after he got off of it.  As to let the air clean itself a bit.  No one smells overly pretty at the gym.  But there’s this thing called hygiene… did you miss that day in 5th grade?

How do you survive a snow storm?

Lots of liquor.

Or that’s what we came up with…  And did.  I don’t think we got a foot of snow- but it felt like it.  When I went to work on Friday morning, I had to wade my way through the snow on my sidewalk and to my car.  My snow boots sure did a lot of good- in my car.  I will never forget to take them out of the car again!  Ironically, even with it still snowing like crazy, I made it to and from work in about the same time as normal- pretty fast, actually.  I credit that to the fact that all the smart and reasonable people stayed home because it was too hazardous.  I am not one of those people.

I don't have much of a reason to go on my balcony right now, but if I did, I would fear death...

Mon and I made it to Big Shot in downtown Arlington Heights to start out last night’s shenanigans.  My guy friends tend to not make it out until after midnight- so we had some time to kill before we ended the night at Gatsby’s.  Sadly, I don’t make it down to that area (downtown) of Arlington Heights very often.  So I was happy to find someone who wanted to.

I was also happy to find someone who wanted to indulge in a liquid dessert.  I ate dinner accordingly to prepare for it.  Won’t lie- I was that nerd to look up their drink list online before I went.  I knew I wanted that Snickers martini.  Bailey’s, vanilla vodka, kahlua, frangelico, and amaretto- magical!  We only had the one there- I think that annoyed the waiter.  But seriously- those martinis are sooo filling.  And strong!

The guys actually started calling to see where we were- I can’t believe they were actually waiting on us to show up at Gatsby’s.  That never happens.  We got there and the bartender waved and asked how we were doing and what we wanted to drink.  Yep… we’re officially regulars.  Not sure if I feel a sense of accomplishment on that one yet or not.

Playing with my camera settings- they should just label this one "drunk vision" because I believe it simulates exactly what we were seeing...

My drinks at Gatsby’s were no Snickers martini, but they were vodka infused and just what I needed after a long work week.  It was my first full five-day week since the beginning of December!  I already miss the holidays…  I know I did not just say that!

Today I need to be semi-productive.  I say this and it’s already noon and I’m still in my pj’s…  Crap.  I have to do some returns, grocery shop, hit a sale at the mall (what?  I have a gift card!), hit the gym (wooo hoo for sexy arms!) and I’m going to try and drag my friend Scott to Jason’s Deli because he’s still never been (and I’m still very much obsessed with that place). 

Ok, I’m off!  Where’s my advil???

Enjoy your Saturday!

I Really Gotta Go!

The blizzard hit.  I’m pretty sure it started right before I was eating breakfast and watching WGN news.  I leisurely sipped my green tea as they began reporting one accident right after another.  Lovely.  That doesn’t make me rush into my commute any earlier.  Sorry. 

I got behind some car that was going 15 mph on an entrance ramp.  I believe going this slow was making them even more of a hazard.  And they were fishtailing everywhere.  At this point, I had been driving so long I was starting to get agitated- imagining them causing an accident involving me… or running off into the ditch, or blocking the road completely.  And I had to get to work.  It’s not like I was nervous about being late- no one was there yet.  But I really really had to pee.  I’m a very well-hydrated individual… 

My breakfast isn’t going to last me until lunch…  I think it’s the lack of peanut butter in my oatmeal.  I’ve gone on a bit of a peanut butter hiatus (thanks mostly to the overindulgence of it in my cupcakes  I made earlier in the week).  But it really seemed to be the one addition to my breakfast that stuck in my stomach until lunchtime.  Crap…  because I know the dude who was responsible for all the animal crackers and chips ahoy in the break room (thanks to his grocer friend) just brought in what looks to me like some packages of chocolatey goodness.  I’ll just have to keep my eyes forward as I walk to the coffee pot…

So my workout was somewhat awesome last night.  I’ve been adding weight to my arm routine.  I actually feel a little soreness in my muscles today.  Does that mean I actually had a solid strength training session last night?  What?!?!  I don’t feel so worthless today.  Yea!

Mon emailed me today to make sure I made it to work today.  She also said she ran to the grocery store to buy some essentials last night before the storm:  Lean Cuisines, a couple bottles of wine and a pack of cigarettes.  Screw the bread, milk and eggs…

Wish me luck on the drive home.  It’s supposed to be absolutely ridiculously hazardous.  I just hope I don’t fishtail like slow guy this morning… or look like this: